COMOM dental clinic returns to Brush June 17-18

More than 190 dentists donated their time, services and even equipment at Brush High School during the 2011 COMOM dental clinic. (News-Tribune file photo)

The 2016 Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) will be held in Brush on June 17 and 18. COMOM will be “Brushing its way to Brush” in celebration of its 10th dental clinic and also surpassing $10,000,000 in donated dental care. COMOM is an annual, large-scale dental clinic held in a Colorado community. Volunteer dentists from throughout the state will embody community stewardship by closing their dental practices and donating their labor and supplies to help individuals in need of oral healthcare services. An outpouring of 1,000 volunteers locally and from across the state – including the dentists, but also dental hygienists, assistants, lab technicians, and a myriad of lay volunteers and medical professionals – are working in tandem with community groups and agencies to better the oral health of individuals in Brush and in the surrounding areas. Local dentist Chuck Schonberger, DDS, and wife Pat Schonberger, RDH, along with fellow dentist Cameron Birch, DDS, are serving as site chairs for the 2016 COMOM. Dr. Schonberger, explained that the “Brush High School will be transformed into a large-scale dental clinic with 125 dental chairs. Patients will undergo health and dental evaluations and then be provided with cleanings, fillings, root canals, and extractions. The goal is to provide 1,500 patients with dental care during the two-day clinic.”“Individuals frequently come to COMOM clinics in considerable pain, and have been in pain a long-time because they cannot afford dental care,” Schonberger noted. “They often end up in emergency rooms to find relief from the pain.

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”In 2011, COMOM brought its dental clinic to Brush for the first time, and with the leadership of Dr. Schonberger, the Brush Family Dentistry garnered a “Business of the Year” award from the Brush Area Chamber of Commerce.Pam Dinkfelt, PhD, COMOM Executive Director, explained that “in 2011, the City of Brush and the Brush School District displayed a ‘can-do attitude,’ anticipating what was needed and how to get things done. With the entire region putting forth so much effort to embrace the program, coming together in logistical support and volunteerism, the COMOM Board chose to bring its dental clinic back to Brush in 2016.” Access to insurance, as well as to dental care itself, is a huge problem for many families. COMOM itself was established in 2007 to provide help to those in need. Oral health is inseparable from general health. Individuals with gum disease and poor oral health are at higher risk for heart disease, strokes and clots in the extremities. Oral disease affects the ability to eat and also affects how a person looks and communicates. It can affect self-esteem and compromise a person’s ability to work. In addition, especially with a sluggish economy, poor oral health and dental appearance can impact how a person feels about seeking work. COMOM is striving to have 200 volunteer dentists at the Brush dental clinic. Morgan County holds the federal designation as a dental health professional shortage area. Across the nearly 1,300 square miles of the County, only 11 dentists held active licenses in 2014. Furthermore, some of these dentists may be practicing only part time or not at all.An exacerbating factor for individuals living in northeast Colorado is that the area is rural. In contrast with their urban counterparts, rural residents are more likely to have unmet dental needs. Individuals living in rural Colorado often lack geographic access to dental care facilities and may lack reliable transportation to travel long distances. The 2016 COMOM dental clinic will be held at the Brush High School on June 17 and 18, with clinic set-up on June 16 and take-down slated June 19. Patients of all ages, who reside anywhere, will be welcomed to the clinic and be treated based on their most urgent dental needs. Doors will open at 6:00 am and will close once the clinic is at capacity which can be early in the day. Patients will be seen on a first come-first served basis. Given the wait for treatment can be very long, patients are encouraged to bring snacks and items to entertain themselves such as books, crossword puzzles, or other things As the COMOM clinic days swiftly approach, volunteers are needed to help, from dentists, hygienists and lab techs, to those who can help provide equipment and set up a plethora of needed intricacies from laying down tarp and providing photocopies of paperwork to parking lot attendants, runners, food service coordinators, patient escorts, data entry personnel, and much more. To volunteer or to be a patient, and to find additional information on the clinic, simply go to their website at www.comom.org or follow this year’s progress on Facebook and Twitter #2016BrushCOMOM for all the latest news and updates. Questions will also be answered via the 2016 COMOM hotline numbers: (970) 467-2832 for volunteer information and (970)467-2836 for patient information.

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